Supervising device for valves



Jan, 20, 1925. 1,523,419

I E. C. HEALY ET AL SUPERVISORY DEVICE FOR VALVES Filed Oct. 14, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENToRs K ATTORNEYS.

E. C. HEALY ET AL SUPERVISORY DEVICE FOR VALVES Jan. 20, 1925.

Filed Oct. 14, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS *MM 5% @el BY Patented Jan. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLIS C. HEALY, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW' JERSEY, AND RUSSELL S. B301F11, 0E BROOK- LYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO DETER W'TCE- CLOCK CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATON F D'-LAVARE.

SUPERVESING DEVICE FOR VALVES.

Application le. October 14, 1929.

To all whom it may concer-nf:

Be it knoivn that We, ELLIS C. HEALY and R'Ussnnn S. BROWN, both citizens of the United States ot' America, residing at, respectively, East Orange, in the county ot Essex .and State of New Jersey, and Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State or' New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supervisory Devices for Valves, of which the following is full, clear, and exact description.

The invention which constitutes the subject-matter of this application has to do with mechanism adapted to be connected to a valve and for controlling the access to a recording key. That is to say, When the valve is in its normal position access may be had to a recording key but it the valve is not in its normal position the key is rendered inaccessible. As these valves (or stations) are equipped with a key a time imprint may be made on a record dial of a Watchmans clock which indicates the time at Which the station was visited by the Watchman. So long as these imprints are made at the required intervals, as shown by the record dial, it is a sure indication that the valves at these particular times were in normal position. But if the imprint ot a certain station is omitted from the record dial it Would be an equally sure indication that the key at that station was inaccessible and therefore that valve was not in normal condition. Ot course, if it is a part of the Watchmans duty to move the valve trom its abnormal to its normal position he could then make the imprint. In any event, the device ivill have served its purpose.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a partly sectional view ot the upper portion of an indicator post or yard valve equipped with supervisoryT mechanism.

Figure 2 is a section, thro-ugh the receptacle containing supervisory mechanism, taken at right angles to that ot Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation illustrating a complete valve and its equipment.

Figs. t and 5 are fragmentary detail views showing diiierent positions of certain ot the parts.

The supervisory mechanism herein illustrated, described and claimed is particularly designed to be employed in connection with an indicator post or yard valve which con Serial No. 416,377.

trols a sprinkler system located in an adjacent building. The indicator post is composed of two sections and 11 vvhich telescope with each other and are relatively adjustable. The section 10 is lined upon and supported by the valve 12 which is to be controlled by the device. SuL erimposed upon the upper section 11 is a cap 13 suitably secured to the section 11. There is provided a wrench member 17 which is rotatably mounted in the 'cap 13 but constrained against axial ino-vement. rl`he loiver end oi the Wrench member 17 is provided with a rectangular socket (as is usual in valves ot this type) which engages vvith the upper end portion ot' the valve stem, which vxe have F designated by the reference numeral 20. The lower end of this valve ste-m 2O is provided \vith a socket member 21 which engages withV the upper end of a suitably shaped member 22 constituting a part oi the valve 12.

. All of the mechanism described above is of conventional form and no claim is made thereto except as it forms or constitutes a part of the combination with the mechanism described hereinafter.

The stem 20, which is square in cross-section, has mounted thereon a sprocket Wheel operatively connected. by neans et a chain 31, which passes through suitable openings in casing 11 and housing to a sprocket Wheel 33. The Wheel 33 is secured to a screiv 34 rotatably mounted in the housing 32 but constrained against axial movement, said housing being bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the 'ca ing 11. The screw 3/-1 is provided With a nut secured to a slide member 3G at or adjacent the lower end ot the latter. This slide member is mounted for vertical reciprocatory movement, only, between guide pins 37 carried by a bracket 33 secured to the housing 32. A shaft 39, journaled in brackets d0 secured to the housing 32, has secured thereto a cam 41 and an arm 42. The cam 41 engages with and is operable by the slide 36 in the longitudinal movement ot the latter. The arm 12 has secured thereto, by means of a chain 43, a Watchmans key or other manually operable record-producing device 41%. It Will be noted that the housing 32 is provided vvith a detachable septum or dust cap 45 which divides the housing inte tuvo ceinpartments, in one. of Which the major portion of the mechanism is located and in the `other of Which the arm 42, chain 43 andkey 44 are located. The front of the housing 32 is provided With a lock-controlled door, hinged at47 to said housing, and the septum 45 may be removed through the opening controlled by this door and access had to the housing-contained mechanism by anyone having the proper key to open saidV door. The principal function of the door 46 may therefore be said to be to permit inspection or repair o-f the mechanism by authorized persons but to prevent tampering with the same by unauthorized persons.

The door 4t is pro-vided at its lower portion -with an opening through which the Watchman can obtain access to the key 44 to produce a: record, when the arm 42 occupies the position shown in full lines in F 2. rhis opening is preferably normally closed by a lock-controlled closure or door 4S hinged at 49 on the largerV door 46. rll'he housing 32 is thus effectively sealed aga-inst unauthorized tampering. The Watchman would be provided With a key to the lock of the door 48 and may therefore obtain access to the key (provided it is accessible thro-ugh the openings in the door 46) and any authorized person may obtain `access through Y the door 46 for inspection or repair.

sequently screw 34.

'screw 34 causes the nut 35 to travel up- As applied to a sprinkler system the form of invention disclosed above is designed toy operate substantially as follows: If the i, e., fully open, the parts occupy the position illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 and the Watchman may obtain access to the key 44 and produce a. record therewith on t-he blank in his Watchmans clock or other recorder. If, however, the valve 12is partially or fully closed the arm 42 occupies the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and the key is in such a position that the watchman can no longer obtain access to the key, through the opening controlled by the door 48, to produce a record at'that station. There would therefore necessarily be a blank space upon the Watchmans record card and such a blank space would indicate either that the Watchman had not visited that station at the time corresponding to the blank space (in which event he Would be reprimanded) or that the valve 12 Was not fully open. As stated above, if'the valve 12 is not fully open the Watchman cannot obtain access to the key 44. The reason for this may be set forth more fully as follows. v

in order to close the valve 12 it is necessary i to rotate the stem 20. Assuming that the parts are in the normal position, rotation of said stem 20 to close the valve causes rotation of sprocket Wheel 30, Wheel 32 and con- This rotation of the Wardly and as-the slide 36 is: secured to this nut, the slidewill also move upwardly'. As soon as the slide moves from its normal position (see Fig. 4) it causes rotation of the cam 4l and consequently arm 42 until the cam assumes the position illustrated in Fig.. 5 and the arm the position illustrated inA dot-ted lines in Fig. 2. The parts are pref-- erably so designed that a few (say tivo). turns of the stem 20- towards valve-closing position will cause the cani 41 and arm 42 to assume the lastdescribed position in which the key 44 is inaccessible. Bea-ring in mind that a comparative-ly large number ofvturns of the stem 2t) are required to close the valve 12 completely, it will be appreciated that the key 44 will be inaccesible tothe Watch-man When the valve is only slightly closed. Continued rotation of the stern 20toavard` valveclosing position simply locks the cam 41 (see- F ig. 5) and arm 42 (see dotted line position of arm 42 in F ig. 2) in the position in which thev key is inaccessible. Obviously if the stem 2O is rotated in the opposite direction reversel operation takes place. and the key 44 will again be rendered accessible to the Watchman. But it should be noted that such accessv to the key 44 Will not befrefestablislied until the valve is fully opened.

Many advantages inherent in our invention will be appare-nt in view of the foregoing description. liVe Wish to direct especial attention to the fact that the invention may readily be applied to all types of yard and other valves comprising rotary stems or operating members. Furthermore all ofthe key-controlling parts, including the chain V31, are sealed against unauthorized tampering. The importance of these and other features will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art. i

In accordance With theprovisions oft-he patent statutes, we have herein described the principle of operation of our invention, together with the apparatus which We now consider to represent' the best embodiments thereof, but We desire to have it understood that the apparatus disclosed is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. Also While it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combinations. and relations described some of thesemay be altered and others omitted Without interfering vviththe more general results and Veffects outlined and the invention extends to such use.

That We claim is v V1. Supervisory mechanism comprising, in combination, a valve, means comprising a rotary stem for operating said valve,V a manually operable record-producing device, a member rotated by rotation of said stem, and means comprising a screiv actuated by said member forf controlling manual operation of said device. Y

2. Supervisory mechanism comprising, in combination, a valve, means comprising a rotary stein i'or operating said valve, a Watchmans recording key, a member rotated by rotation of said stem, and means comprising a screw actuated by said member for controlling access to said key.

3. Supervisory mechanism comprising, in combination, a valve, means comprising a rotary stem for operating said valve, a manually operable record-producing device, a screw-threaded member spaced from said stem, means for rotating said member by rotation oi said stem, and means controlled by said member for controlling manual operation of said device.

Ji. Supervisory mechanism comprising, in

combination, a valve having a rotatable member 'for operating the same, a second rotatable member, means comprising an endless iiexible element operatively connecting said members, a ivatclnnans key movable from a position in Which it is operable to produce a record to a position in which it is inoperable to produce a record, and means actuated by said second rotatable member for movingsaid key during only a portion of the total movement of said irst named rotatable member.

5. Supervisory mechanism comprising, in combination, a valve having a rotatable stem for actuating the same, a casing surrounding said stem, a housing secured to said casing, a rotatable member Within said housing, means for rotating said member by rotation of said stem, a rectilinearly slidable member Within said housing and operatively Y associated with said rotatable member to be actuated thereby, a manually operable recording device, and means actuated by said slidable member for controlling manual operation of said device.

6. In combination, a valve having a rotatable stem, a rectilinearly movable element, means comprising a sprocket chain connecting said stem and element for simultaneous movement, a member mounted for movement about an axis and operable by and upon initial movement of said element in a predetermined direction and locked against movement on furthe-r movement of said element in the same direction, and a recording device controlled by said member.

't'. In combination, a valve having a rotatable stem, a rectilinearly movable element, means comprising a sprocket chain connecting said stem and element for simultaneous movement, a rock shaft, a member mounted on said rock shaft and operable by and upon initial movement of said element in a predetermined direction and locked against movement on further movement of said element in the same direction, a manually operable recording device, and means secured to said rock shaft -for controlling said device.

8. The combination set forth in claim 6 in which the recording device is a iva-tchmans time clock key.

9. The combination set forth in claim 7 in which the recording device is a Watchmans time clock key.

In testimony whereof We hereto affix our signatures.

ELLIS C. HEALY. RUSSELL S. BROWN. 

